Survey: 2011 carpet cleaning spending about the same as 2010

MUKILTEO, WA — A survey conducted for U.S. Products has reported most carpet cleaning technicians (60 percent) find customer spending on carpet cleaning this year is on par with 2010, according to a press release.

However, nearly 30 percent say this year''s sales are behind those of 2010, the release stated.

"The carpet cleaning industry is doing better; however, not for everyone, and certainly not like things were a few years ago," said Mark Baxter, product manager for U.S. Products.

According to the release, the survey also revealed:

• Fifty-five percent of the respondents believe their customers "shop around" and get other estimates before selecting a carpet cleaning technician
• Nearly half said their customers have about the same amount of carpeting as they do hard surface flooring
• About 40 percent said they always follow-up with customers to check on customer satisfaction after cleaning their carpets; 48 percent indicated they "sometimes" do this.

"It was a bit eye-opening that more technicians do not regularly follow-up to see if the customer is satisfied with their service," said Baxter.

"Most carpet cleaning gurus suggest this is a very important step in building customer loyalty," Baxter added.